The papilla gown comfort instrument for use with post mastectomy patients

Abstract

Aim: To develop a scale for assessing the status of a functional post-mastectomy gown, Papilla Gown (PG) and a hospital gown, and to examine the reliability and validity of the PG Comfort Instrument (PGCI) that provides a wider measurement perspective and focus on emotional distress, physical disability, and environmental discomfort. Background: A comfortable and functional post-mastectomy gown, PG, is an integral part of the recovery process for post-mastectomy; however, this is an area of care that has insufficient information or research available. Design: This study used a cross-sectional study design to assess psychometric properties of the PGCI using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The PGCI was developed based on Kolcaba’s theory of comfort that assists in viewing the patient’s clothing as a portable environment. Methods: A 13-item scale was constructed and assessed by an expert committee from breast surgery centers in the Southwestern region of the in U.S. and tested in a randomized study of 142 women undergoing mastectomies for stages 2 and 3 breast cancer during 2008-2010. The sample was randomly divided into two groups: (a) sample for calibration sample for the CFA (n = 71) and (b) cross-validation sample for the CFA (n = 71). Results: The factory analyses revealed 10 items grouped into two latent factors: physiological and psychological comfort (5 items, α = 0.94) and environment comfort (5 items, α = 0.92). Conclusions: These results support the reliability and validity of the PGCI as a brief questionnaire for assessing PG comfort in post-mastectomy patients. The PGCI can be useful in future studies for measuring a precise gown comfort intervention to post-mastectomy patients.